Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-18
THE SAME OLD STORY.
How 1t Was Told in Ancient Times.
Love, Devotion and Tetradrachms.

"Tell me, Hiparche, quoth Diomedes,
the scrivener "'tell me, by the love you
bear the gods, is there this night in all
my toll. have found' This kid is roasted
to operfection, and the spinach more pleases
the palate than the olives of Cyprus or
the golden apples of Thrace. Where is
10 be found such wine as you this mo-
ment have with your two hands poured
out? And surely where, unless it be upon
the sacred mount in Thessaly, is to be
heard of mortal ears such song as You,
touching your lye, discourse to the plain
tive spondees of Phaon's rejected lover?'
Now, by Pallas Athene,' quoth
Hiparche, you say words that are
smoother and do more rejoice me than
the honey of Hymettus. Yet what serv-
ice can |, o Diomedcs, do of which you
are not more than worthy? For Eros and
his seaborn mother shall bear me witness
that since the time the arrow pierced my
breast, kindling there the fire more subtle
than that Prometheus stole, 10 do your
will has been my souls delight
Nay" demonstrated Diomedes, gently
disengaging Hiparche's shapely arms
from about his neck, may, dear wife, be
not so demonstrativc; see, you have spilled
the wine upon my toga.'
The gods save me- Crie1 HiparChe;
Il had no purpose of that kind, for twas
but this day that |, seeing YOU approach
our house. said TO myself; How clean is
my Diomedes' attire, How well hath he
preserved his toga and his buskins from
the last season-surely he Will not want
others for months TO GOMEZ
BY the temple, you must be blind,
Hiparche mine.M cried Diomedes. Upon
this toga there are many stains both here
III front and elsewhere, too where ! un-
guardedly have sat on benches newly
painted. And, look you, how that my
huskins do bag at the knees"
Not So o Diomedes, "quoth Hiparche
Have not eyes to seef Yet, even were
| il as you say-and SO it is not-therc is
about you a beauty and manly grace that
| make all people blind to what you wear
| Helas, al. ai7 It's not so with me-ai, al
helas! not so with your Hiparchc II
| has pleased the gods 10 make me very
| human, and though seek to he ComelS
| in your eyes l find it hard To be so. Lool
| with your two eyes, O Diomedes, upon
| this flowing robe of mine and tell me is il
not dowdys BY Zeus, am ashamed {,
be seen wearing it in the AcrOpolis, the
| more so since but to-day PhaXylla-sht
whom detest-paraded before the hous,
clad in new gown of CarthaGiniau pur
pler'
by Hercules" protested Diomedes
your robe beseems you: il hath preserved
| its color and hath not lost its ShapelineSS
like it well, remembering that | paiC
Mycemas the Cretan three tetradrachm
| of silver starters for il
Nay, by that same Hercules, ii
lowdy!' cried Hiparche, and thereupol
she fell 10 weeping and to beating of he
breast and to tearing Of her hair, utterin!
| wild oaths to Pallas Athene and calm,
| the gods 10 witness that she wished sh
never had been born To wed a man wh
cared not how his wife looked SO long q
he himself was we'll clothed Whereupol
| Diomedes. touched with compassion 70
Hiparche, drew from his purse four tetra
drachms, being his weeks salary. an
hade her buy the raiment she desired
Now, by the dog, how are the time
changed, In these degenerate days W
have no semblance to Hiparche, tn
Athenian wife! o Zeus and We other god
immortal, dwellers on high Olympus
how hardly hast thou dealt with poster
ity. preserving the like of Diomede
through all ages down to this very me
ment, but giving to our Companionshi
none such as Hiparche to mulct us Of ou
love. of our devotion and of our tetri
drachmS- Chicago News